Annual run promotes allergy awareness

On
October 12, over 700 runners dressed head-to-toe in purple will gather in front
of Rothesay High School for the sixth annual Sweet Caroline Run.

Katherine Lorette, covered in purple, leading the Sweet Caroline Run of 2014. (Sweet Caroline Foundation/Facebook)

The
run is held every Thanksgiving weekend, with all the funds going towards the
Sweet Caroline Foundation; a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting
allergy and anaphylaxis awareness in memory of Caroline Lorette.

What is the Sweet Caroline Foundation?

Caroline
passed away in the summer of 2014 from an allergic reaction – a video detailing
her life and experience with allergies called “Caroline’s Story” can be found
on their Facebook page.

In
the years that the Sweet Caroline Foundation has been around, they have been
extremely busy trying to better the community’s understanding of allergies.

Their
projects include, but are not limited to, training local businesses on how to
use an EpiPen, travelling to surrounding schools to educate about allergies and
anaphylaxis, and organizing events to promote awareness.

Katherine Lorette, a student at UNB Fredericton, says that “the atmosphere [of the run] is very welcoming and fun, the entire community is there, and everyone is so supportive and kind.”

Why
should you participate in the run?

According
to Food Allergy Canada, more than 2.6 million Canadians have food allergies and
there is currently no safe way to determine if someone’s reaction would be anaphylactic.

Anaphylactic
shock, or anaphylaxis, is a serious allergic reaction which can result in death
without immediate intervention.

Even
miniscule amounts of an allergen can trigger anaphylaxis so being educated in administering
Epinephrine, usually in the form of an EpiPen, can save lives.

UNBSJ
now has several EpiPen locations on campus. To inject an EpiPen, you simply
remove the blue safety cap, place the orange tip against the person’s outer
thigh, pushing it in until it clicks, and hold firmly for three seconds.

An easy way to remember how to place one is: “blue to the sky, orange to the thigh”. After administering the injection, an ambulance should be called so that the person may be taken to the hospital for medical treatment.

As
for the future of the Sweet Caroline Foundation, Lorette hopes “that [their]
video, Caroline’s story, is shown in schools all over Canada and that
eventually, people just know of the Sweet Caroline Foundation.”

If
you would like to participate in the 6th annual Sweet Caroline run, you can
sign up online
or register before 10:00am at Rothesay High School on October 12th.

For
more information on how to be more allergy aware, email sfifield@unb.ca or visit the Sweet Caroline Foundation’s Facebook page.